8 takeaways from Manchester United’s impressive 2-0 win over Chelsea

Jose Mourinho had been beaten badly on two occasions by Chelsea, who fired him just last season. So with the Blues visiting Old Trafford on Sunday, you can bet that no one wanted a win more than Mourinho -- and that's exactly what his Manchester United team gave him. The Red Devils were terrific, completely playing Chelsea off the pitch en route to a 2-0 win.

What did we learn?

1

Ander Herrera was the star

On a day where everyone for Manchester United shined, Ander Herrera was unquestionably the brightest. Not only did he score the second goal, but his pass to set up Marcus Rashford for the first goal was absolutely sublime. Combine that with the way he completely took Eden Hazard out of the match and you have a performance for the ages.

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2

Give Paul Pogba a ton of credit

Ander Herrera will deservedly get the attention for job he did on Sunday, but it was only possible because of Paul Pogba. While Herrera was chasing Hazard around, Pogba was charged with manning the midfield essentially by himself. Not only did he do it, but he also initiated the Manchester United attack and completely confounded the Blues with his ability to show up, well, everywhere.

This was the perfect example of why Pogba is so good. He can do it all, and do it everywhere. That doesn't make just him good, but it allows the manager and rest of the team to do so much more ... like send Herrera to take Hazard out of the match.

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3

Jose Mourinho nailed it

When the lineup came out, it looked like Manchester United had decided to prioritize the Europa League so they were sending a weak team out against Chelsea. After all, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the bench. But Jose Mourinho simply got his tactics perfect, using speed and strength to completely disprupt the Blues. Toss in the way Ander Herrera was charged with man marking Eden Hazard at all times and you have a classic Mourinho performance.

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4

Diego Costa and Marcos Rojo got into it

The entire match was essentially a giant fight between Diego Costa and Marcos Rojo. The Manchester United man fell for Costa's antics a couple time, but he also got under Costa's skin. It's a wonder the two didn't have a knife fight at midfield with how heated this one got.

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5

Chelsea have some problems

The Blues were beaten for pace at the back and struggled to transition into the attack, but not all of their problems were one-offs. Eden Hazard was marked out of the match and Diego Costa's goal-less streak continued. You'd think the Blues would be peaking at this point in the season, but they're not near their best.

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6

What were you wearing Antonio Conte?

You can't wear a three-piece suit with a ball cap and expect to get away with it.

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7

This was Marcus Rashford's best performance

There have been matches where Marcus Rashford has scored more, but he's had few days where he really put in a complete performance. He did on Sunday, scoring a goal, creating chances, helping keep the ball and proving a menace in the press. The teenager has never played with as much confidence as he did against Chelsea and he has never been that good.

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8

Welcome to the title race, Tottenham

It looked like it might not matter what Spurs did because Chelsea wouldn't let them into the title race. Well, now the margin is just four points. While the Blues are still the favorites, it's fair to say Tottenham have a chance now.